Welcome to the L-V Meeting Status of the LSC Dave Reitze University of Florida

1. Caltech, March 15, 2008 Welcome to the L-V Meeting Status of the LSC Dave Reitze University of Florida LIGO Scientific Collaboration

2. Meeting Announcements • Please upload your talks ahead of time • http://www.lsc-group.phys.uwm.edu/ligovirgo/meetings/LSCVirgo0803 • Requires the usual LSC user/password • LSC Banquet tonight at the Pasadena University Club • Council meeting Wednesday night at the Pasadena University Club • Coating Workshop, Thursday, beginning after L-V meeting close out session. • 201 E. Bridge LIGO Scientific Collaboration

3. News • Many exciting things happening on lots of fronts • AdvLIGO, Astrowatch, E-LIGO, S5 analyses, Virgo+ • AstroWatch program • Off to a great start! • Astrowatchers: Berit Behnke (AEI), Evan Goetz (UofM), Satya Mohapatra (U Mass), Adam Mullavey (ANU), Pinkesh Patel (Caltech), Philip Roberts (Andrews), Jacob Slutsky (LSU), Szymon Steplewski (WSU), Matt West (Syracuse), Junyi Zhang (UofM) • Plus the LHO team • … But in danger of losing steam in the near future • Not enough student (or postdoc) volunteers have come forward • The problem becomes acute in next few months and may force reduced coverage. • Funding available for 3 months visits • Students AND ESPECIALLY POSTDOCS are encouraged to apply LIGO Scientific Collaboration

4. LSC Observational Papers Since October • LSC observational papers accepted or posted since October • Accepted articles: • “Implications for the Origin of GRB 070201 from LIGO Observations”, Ap. J. • “A Joint Search for Gravitational Wave Bursts with AURIGA and LIGO” CQG • “Search for gravitational waves from binary inspirals in S3 and S4 LIGO data”, Phys. Rev. D • “Search for gravitational waves associated with 39 gamma-ray bursts using data from the second, third, and fourth LIGO runs”, Phys. Rev. D. • Articles on arXiv • “Search of S3 LIGO data for gravitational wave signals from spinning black hole and neutron star binary inspirals” • Mature drafts: • “All-sky LIGO search for periodic gravitational waves in the early S5 data” – S5 paper • “Beating the spin-down limit on gravitational wave emission from the Crab pulsar” – S5 paper • “The Einstein@home search for periodic gravitational waves in LIGO S4 data” • “First application of a coherent algorithm for gravitational-wave burst detection to data acquired by laser interferometric detectors” LIGO Scientific Collaboration

5. Status of the LSC • LSC memberships • Sonoma State University has joined the LSC (transfer of Shally Saraf from Rochester Institute of Technology) • New LSC Working Group – Education and Public Outreach • Chair: Marco Cavaglia (Mississippi), Members: Martin Hendry (Glasgow), Susanne Milde (AEI), Keith Riles (Michigan), Adrienne Rodriguez-Zermeño (UTB), Tiffany Summerscales (Andrews), Dennis Ugolini (Trinity), John Thacker (LLO), Dale Ingram (LHO) • Mission: to coordinate outreach activities within the LSC, develop and foster EPO goals. • Volunteers welcome!! • Wiki: http://www.phy.olemiss.edu/lsc_epo (usual user/password combo) • Currently collecting information on current outreach activities in the LSC • Please visit and enter your outreach information LIGO Scientific Collaboration

6. Status of the LSC (cont’d) • New LSC Committee – Remote Participation • Carsten Aulbert (AEI), Antonella Bozzi (EGO), Nelson Christensen (Carleton), Francesco Fidecaro (Pisa), Peter Saulson (Syracuse), Peter Shawhan (Maryland), David Shoemaker (MIT), Alan Weinstein (Caltech) • Albert Lazzarini, Dave Reitze, Larry Wallace ex-officio • Mission: to improve ability to participate in L-V meetings from afar and to the extent possible reduce the collaborations’ carbon footprint • Check your carbon footprint: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx • Will hear more on this from David Shoemaker later in this session • LSC Search Groups • Erik Katsavounidis re-elected to Burst Group co-chair • Alan Weinstein elected to co-chair of CBC search group, replacing Gaby Gonzalez • Graham Woan elected to co-chair of CW search group, replacing Maria Alessandra Papa • Stefan Ballmer elected to co-chair Stochastic Group, replacing Peter Fritschel • LSC Committees • Peter Saulson is the new chair of the election and membership committee, replacing Norna Robertson LIGO Scientific Collaboration

7. www.ligo.org • A new ligo.org web site is under development  • Veronica Kondrashov leading the development effort • http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/~veronica/lsclab3/ LIGO Scientific Collaboration

8. LSC Council Meeting Agenda • Consideration of new members applying to the LSC • Selim Shahriar, Northwestern University • Proposal to change the LSC Spokesperson selection process • Proposed changes to the LSC ByLaws • Discussion of the LSC nomination process for leadership positions • Publication policy changes - One Author for the LSC to full author list for conference proceedings LIGO Scientific Collaboration

9. Some reminders and news • Join the APS Topical Group on Gravitation • The APS Gravitation Topical Group is the primary professional organization for the GW community • GG now has over 1000 members • If you are not already a member, please join! • Semi-annual generation of the LSC author list is underway • Now done online through Directory Services:http://roster.ligo.org/ • Group leaders, please get your lists updated by March 20 • Upcoming L-V meetings • June meeting • Will take place at Orsay second week of June • September meeting • Will take place in Amsterdam • SCHEDULE CHANGE: dates are September 22 – 26 (fourth week) LIGO Scientific Collaboration

10. Authentication Standards for the LSC • In January, a new user/password combination was put into effect, but was inadvertently compromised soon after so we need to do this again. • The proposal is to do this immediately after the LSC meeting, March 26-April 2 • This time, you will need to use your ligo.org credentials to access the new user/password combination • Development of a better authentication method is underway and will probably happen later this eyar LIGO Scientific Collaboration

11. Enjoy the meeting! LIGO Scientific Collaboration